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Est. July 15, 1981

Mission

The Santa Monica Farmers Markets create thriving, vibrant communities that are inclusive, connected and diverse by promoting the preservation of the agricultural arts, prosperity of CA farmers and small food businesses and sustainable food systems.

History

The City of Santa Monica oversees the operation and management of four Certified Farmers’ Markets (CFMs). An estimated 900,000 shoppers visit the markets every year. Collectively, they provide customers year-round with a selection of fresh, seasonal produce that is preeminent among farmers' market programs in the state. (More...)

Several of our farmers have been impacted by the Thomas Fire and will not be attending the SMFMs this week. Follow us on social media for updates on the impacts and their return to the markets.

Price Comparison Project

Do you avoid the Farmers Market because it's too expensive? This summer, Emma Finn (an intern with the SMFMs) did a price comparison study investigating this idea. Here's an excerpt from her report:

"Shopping at farmers markets is often perceived to be more expensive than shopping at retail grocery stores. This study provides data from the Wednesday Downtown Santa Monica Farmers Market to verify that this perception is not always the case, and that farmers markets actually offer very comparable prices to that of nearby grocery stores while holding all sorts of added value. Some items may be slightly more expensive at the farmers market while other items are significantly cheaper, however, prices vary greatly depending on the product, product origin, seasonality, certification, etc. In addition, the prices of goods you buy at a farmers market will vary from vendor to vendor, by certification (or lack thereof), by seasonality, and even by time of day (i.e. at the beginning or end of the market day). Furthermore, while price is the baseline comparison used in this study, there are all sorts of additional value that come with purchasing produce at farmers markets, including valuable farmer-to-consumer relationships, assurance of ripeness and freshness, more variety, and, many would argue, better tasting and higher quality items."

Farmers Market Field Trips

Take your class to the Wednesday Santa Monica Farmers Market where students can have fun tasting and learning! Since 1997, the Santa Monica Farmers Market has collaborated with SMMUSD to bring food literacy to its kids, teaching workshop topics including seasonality, variety, growing practices, and more! Click here to learn more!

Join our dynamic fast-paced team as a Farmers Market Volunteer!

We are looking for responsible, dedicated, outgoing folks to assist with Farmers Market operations on-site! For more information, visit our Volunteer page.